Mercedes Dominates Japan Practice As Antonelli Sets Fastest Time With Russell Second-Beast In Duel Setup
Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of 1m23.489s in Friday's third practice session at Suzuka, leading a Mercedes-dominated day where George Russell finished second just behind him by only two-tenths of a second while Lando Norris hit fresh McLaren issues to finish fourth ahead of Verstappen and Perez who were fifth sixth respectively with the latter on track for fastest time.
Key Points
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1Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in final practice at Suzuka with a lap of 1:29.362.
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2Mercedes drivers finished first and second ahead by more than half a second while McLaren faced reliability issues including battery problems for Lando Norris.
Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of one minute and twenty-nine point three six two seconds in Free Practice Three at Suzuka, beating teammate George Russell to lead Mercedes into qualifying ahead of their strong 2026 start. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished third while Lando Norris was unable to complete significant running due to persistent technical issues involving his Energy Recovery System.
Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of 1m30s42 during Formula One practice at Japan as Mercedes secured its first front-row lock-out in two years. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished second with one-tenth behind, while McLaren's Lando Norris emerged after mechanical issues to finish seventh ahead of Nico Hülkenberg and Oscar Piastri.